This latest incarnation of Chandler's sleuth will appeal to fans of Chandler and Marlowe, but newcomers to one of the first great PIs in crime fiction will find much to enjoy here as well.
Overall, Black's latest Quirke mystery (Christine Falls; A Death in Summer; Vengeance) is an exhausting and airless read. [See Prepub Alert, 2/25/13; library marketing.]
Black's mysteries are not black and white with cut-and-dried villains behind bars at the conclusion. However, readers looking for more character development and ambiguity than Stieg Larsson's popular Scandinavian thrillers offer will enjoy getting to know Quirke and Hackett by picking up this book and Black's previous works. [See Prepub Alert, 12/12/10; library marketing.]—Christine Perkins, Bellingham P.L., WA